Applicant hereby claims foreign priority under 35 U.S.C. xc2xa7119 from German Application No 102 26 580.1 filed 14 Jun. 2002, the disclosure of which is herein incorporated by reference.
The invention concerns a wristwatch including a housing, a time measuring device, a test measuring device for measuring by way of electric currents a test strip which has at least one test field wetable by a fluid to be investigated, and an indicating device connected with the time measuring device and the test measuring device.
One such wristwatch is known for example from EP 777 123 A2. In this known wristwatch, the strip receiver for the insertion of the test strip is applied to a portion of the housing which protrudes laterally over the wristband of the watch. This has the disadvantage that the receiver is very difficult to clean. A dirtying of the strip receiver and of the measuring contacts which extend into the strip receiver can however lead to false measurements.
From DE 29 620 371 U1 is further known a wristwatch combined with a blood sugar measuring device. In one of the examples described there the wristwatch includes a lower housing part and a upper housing part, which are relatively movable to one another. In the lower housing part, the time measuring device and the test measuring device are brought together with the measuring optic system. In the upper housing part is arranged the indicator device which is connected by associated conductors with the measuring devices arranged in the lower housing part. On the upper surface of the lower housing part facing the upper housing part a strip receiver is formed into which can be laid a test strip wetted with the liquid to be investigated. In this case, there exists basically the possibility that by opening or moving away the housing parts the strip receiver can be laid free to allow carefully cleaning of the housing parts. However, this solution is relatively expensive especially in regard to assuring a secure and lasting electrical connection between the two relatively moveable housing parts.
The invention has its as its object the provision of a wristwatch of the previously mentioned kind which spacing saving and unobtrusively joins the functions of a watch and a test strip measuring device, which is simple in construction, and in the case of which the strip receiver can be reliably cleaned.
This object is solved in accordance with the invention in that a wristband holding member is releasably connected with the housing, is oriented parallel to a housing outer surface, and together with the housing outer surface defines a receiving opening for holding a test strip in a pre-given position, and that in the mentioned housing outer surface at least two measuring contact elements connected with the test measuring device are so arranged that they extend with their free ends into the receiving opening for contact with electrodes in the test field.
The solution according to the invention has the advantage that the time measuring device and the test measuring device as well as the indicator device all are arranged in the closed watch housing. Only the measuring contact elements extend out of the housing so as to be able to contact the electrodes in the test field. The band holding member serves only to hold the test strip in the position required for a correct contacting, with the band holding member at any time being removable from the housing to be able to clean the contacts and the surrounding housing surfaces as well as the band holding member without trouble. The watch can also be used without the band holding member in which case it is practically indistinguishable from a customary digital watch.
If it makes no difference that the band holding member remain on the housing, it can also for example be joined by a hinge to the housing so that it can easily be swung away from the associated housing surface. Also guide members for the test strips which sidewise guide the strips and/or limit their insertion depth, can be formed on the associated housing surface.
Preferably the measuring contact element containing housing outer surface is that of the housing bottom. On one hand the measuring contact elements on the housing are inconspicuous, and on another hand the housing bottom offers a relatively large surface to which to apply the band holding member and which can assure a reliable guiding of the test strip. If the band holding member is a plate which surfacewise nearly matches the housing bottom, in the wearing of the wristwatch the band holding member is practically inconspicuous.
To ease application and removal of the band holding member to and from the housing, the band holding member is prefereably connectable with the housing by means of clip connectors, so that no tools are necessary to connect or disconnect the band holding member to or from the housing. For example, the clip connectors can include detent protrusions on the band holding member and detent openings in the housing designed to receive the detent protrusions. This solution has the advantage that on the watch housing itself no protruded parts are provided which can disturb the wearer of the wristwatch when the band holding member is not connected with the housing.
If the housing of the wristwatch is made of metal, it is advantageous if the measuring contact elements are arranged in an insulating part inserted into the mentioned housing outer surface. To assure a secure making of contact the insulating part can be resiliently deflectably supported in the receiving housing surface for movement perpendicularly to the housing surface, which insulating part in its fundamental position is lightly pressed outwardly with the measuring contact elements so they lie under resilient pressure onto the electrodes of the test field of a test strip inserted into the receiving opening.
To avoid a dirtying of the insulating part by the fluid under investigation and by the test chemicals, the insulating part is advantageously made of a hydrophobic material.
In place of the resilient support of the insulating part, or perhaps additionally thereto, a pressing element for pressing the test strip against the measuring contact elements can be provided on the band holding member. For example, the pressing element can be leaf spring which is either fastened to or made of one piece with the band holding member.
To assure that the contact elements are clean and that no moisture is contained in the receiving opening, which could falsify a measurement, in the region of the measuring contact elements a moisture sensor is preferably provided. This can be so made in that it includes an auxiliary contact and a resistance measuring device by means of which the electrical resistance between the auxiliary contact and at least one of the measuring contact elements is measurable. In association with an amplitude evaluating circuit, in the event of the falling below of a pre-given resistance value or upon the exceeding of a pre-given conductivity value, a signal can be created which informs the user that he should first clean and dry the receiving opening and the contact elements before making the next measurement.
The time measuring device and test measuring device can be alternately activatable, so that for example the indicating device can be used to show in full size the individual measurements. The arrangement can however be so made that at least one of the measuring devices, in general the time measuring device, is constantly active and that the other measuring device is selectively turned on. The switching between the measuring devices or the switching on of the selectively activatable measuring device can be accomplished by means of a switch which is arranged on the outer side of the housing. Another possibility exists in that the switching between the measuring devices or the switching on of the selectively activable measuring device takes place in dependence on the insertion or removal of a test strip into or out of receiving opening. As a sensor for detecting the insertion or removal of the test strip, a measuring contact element with or without an auxiliary contact can be used.
In the preferred solution of the invention the time measuring device and the test measuring device are formed as separate modules.
Preferably contacts are arranged on the housing outer surface to make possible a data exchange between the data processing unit of the test measuring device and an external device.